Ever think that there are some great ideas out there, and that
they are never put together?  What if Ranma, instead of falling into
Nyannichuan "spring of drowned girl" fell into one of the Kusenkyo
pools.  A small thing though, I combined the two training grounds into
one big ground...with a couple of exceptions...:)  It wouldn't be as
funny if he didn't change into a girl (of some kind) so I came up with
this little thing.  (Sorry Scott, if some of what I write comes too
close to what you wrote:)

     Also, I will be writing this one from three perspectives.  One
from Ranma's POV,  one an omniscient POV, and one from Akane's POV. 
You will be able to tell which is which(I hope).

     <this> will indicate when the speaker is talking in Chinese, or
any variant therof. (as I can't spell very much (if any) in Chinese so
will use this where I can't use correct spelling of what I mean)
     [this] will be when the speaker is talking in English, or any
variant therof.
     and *this* will indicate when the current person will be
     thinking.

     Something that I never did before...but I read in other stories. 
     
At the end of the chapter (or clip therof) I will list the music
tracks that I listened to while writing this topsy-turvy story.

     Standard Disclaimers (Takahashi, Viz, etc.)

          Ranma 1/2
          Alternate Landings
          By Shadow Dancer(AKA Colin Hidson)
          Episode 1 ; part 3

     I picked Ranma up, brushed her hair aside, and kissed her on the
cheek.  *What am I doing?*  I mentally screamed at myself.  *Ranma
needs me.  When he turns into a girl, he needs to have someone protect
him.  I _want_ to be that someone.*  Then it hit me.  I wanted to be
with him.  Forever, if need be.  For some reason, that both scared me,
and excited me.  I looked at why I was scared.  *It's because she
turns into a boy, that's why, right?*  I looked at Ranma.  *That's
part of it, I just don't know how he will be when male.*  I started
hugging Ranma.
     Ranma looked at me, and quietly asked, "Would you like me 
if we were engaged?"  Ranma's voice quivered, as if she were afraid of
the answer.
     *Would I?  Well, I would rather know him better, but...*
     "Akane?  Are you going to answer him?"  I whirled around.  I
forgot completely about Nabiki.  She was standing at the door, looking
interested at my answer.  Not the way she usually looks at me, just
genuine interest.
     I turned back to Ranma, and she looked afraid, still.  I smiled,
trying to put Ranma at ease.  "Ranma,"I said, "I would like to get to
know you better.  At this point I'm not sure if I would or not, but
later I will know.  Is that good enough for you?"
     Ranma just looked at me hopefully, and then hugged me.  "I 
want a friend more than a fiancee right now.  Can we still be friends,
please?"  Ranma seemed so insecure, seemed to need comfort more than
anything else.  I pulled her up again and hugged her back.  Then I did
something that I will remember for a long time.  I think Ranma will
too.
     I lifted Ranma's face up to mine, and said, clearly, "I hope
     that, 
in time, we will be more than that."  I then kissed Ranma.  Not those
light pecks on the cheeks, or a small kiss.  A Kiss.  On the lips.  I
don't know who was more surprised.  Me, for doing that, Ranma for not
resisting, or Nabiki, who watched it all.  I then sat back, trying to
get my bearings.  *That never happened to me, before...* I thought
surprisedly to myself, *What came over me?  Maybe I _do_ love this
person.  Oh, no!  It's almost suppertime!*  "Ranma, It's almost supper
time, I think we should get ready, don't you?"  Ranma nodded, still
confused, and we walked into the laundry room.  On the bench there
were two towels, and two sets of clothes.  You could tell which one
was mine, instantly, for it was the larger of the two.  What surprised
me was Ranma's clothes pile.  It was a small dress, with all the
accoutrements of a little girl.  What was even more surprising was
that she put the clothes on, _without complaining_.  "Ranma?  Are
those yours?"  I hoped that they weren't for some reason.
     Ranma flushed.  "Yes, they are."  She looked guilty, "I won't be
able to change back into a male permanently, so I _have_ to get used
to my new body.  It doesn't mean that I have to like it, I just have
to get used to it."  Ranma looked down at the floor.  Now that I got a
good look at her, she really _was_ cute.  She had her red hair tied up
in a long pony-tail, had big, blue eyes, and that little blue dress
didn't take anything from the effect.  In fact, if she were a bit
older, I'd have to say that she would be _beautiful_.
     Then something occured to me.  "Ranma?  How long do you 
usually stay a girl?"  I was curious.  Then I noticed something else. 
I was standing there, watching Ranma get dressed, and failing to do so
myself.  I flushed and quickly started getting dressed.  Nabiki, it
seems, had walked out while I watching Ranma.
     Ranma looked at me, strangely.  "I don't know,"she admitted,
"Usually I try to get back to being male as soon as possible.  But for
some reason, I don't want to be male for a while."  Her face went
comical, "Why, do you _want_ to see me here, " she waved her hand
around, "as a male, in t _this_?"  pointed at her dress.  I tried to
think of what Ranma would look like, like that.  I couldn't suppress
the giggle that I had at the thought.  "See?  I don't know how long
I'll stay like this, this time.  Maybe a day, or so."  She looked down
at herself, and then grined.  "What do you think father will think?" 
She twirled around, "Think he will throw me in the pond as soon as he
see's me?"
     I thought about her father.  While he seemed to be a good 
father from what I saw, so far, after consideration I had to
truthfully admit, "Actually, I think he might."  I grinned, then, "But
do you think he would go through me to do so?"
     Ranma looked at me, and got this little impish grin. She grabbed
my hand,started walking out the laundry room door, and giggled, "Would
you?  I heven't been a girl this long before, and I would like to see
what it is like for the next while.  Could you, please?"  She looked
at me, and I swear, the cuteness level in the room must have tripled
in those few seconds.
     I pulled Ranma back, so that she wouldn't trip and hurt herself,
"Sure Ranma, anything for my friend."  I smiled at her when she
abruptly swung around and hugged me again.  Maybe this was a good
thing, after all.  At the very least, she wasn't complaining about her
curse all the time.  She truly wanted to get to know this side of
herself better.  I hugged her back, and then I saw father.

*****

     "Oh, Akane!" Soun cried, "How good of you to take care of guests
like this.  You make your father so proud of you!"  Soun, apparently,
thought nothing of his daughter bathing with his guest.  Ranma looked
surprised, and turned around quickly, a flush on her face.  Soun
ignored it, "Akane, while I know Ranma's curse may be difficult to
deal with it, could you take care of him while he stays here?" 
Akane's eyes went wide.  She numbly nodded, while holding onto Ranma,
to keep her from running away.
     "Yes, father, I will."  Akane looked at Ranma, grinning.  "I
     wouldn't 
want my new friend to hurt herself, no?"
     "Friend?  He's your friend, now?  Well, that's your choice.  See
     you 
at supper!"  for some reason Soun seemed to be acting strangely, like
he was still in shock of something.  Something occured to Akane then,
he wan't crying, like he usually was.  Maybe he should be taken to Dr.
Tofu's.  After supper, of course.
     Ranma was looking wide-eyed at where Soun was just standing, "Is
your father normally like that, Akane?  It seemed to be pretty strange
compared to the way he was crying all the time before."  Ranma seemed
to be in a bit of shock herself.  She then shook it off, "Akane?  Are
we going to go for supper?  I'm hungry."  As if to agree with that
statement, her stomach growled loudly.  Ranma blushed in embarresment.
     Akane giggled a bit, and then pulled Ranma towards the stairs,
carefully.  "Yes, Ranma, we'll go for supper, now."  

*****

[Author's note.  As you probably guessed, yes, I'm listening to 
Captain Tractor, still.  I wonder if Akane's house will be anything
like this song that I'm currently listening.  "Home, where I can never
be lonley/ cause the leftovers/have a lot to say"  Just a thought]

*****

     Ranma surprised me at supper.  While her father seemed to try to
eat everything in sight, she seemed to actually _try_ to eat like a
proper human.  She actually seemed to be trying to act like me, as if
to try to make herself better, or something.  Surprisingly enough,
Genma didn't try to throw Ranma into the pond as soon as he saw her. 
While he did steal glances at Ranma and I while we were eating, he
didn't say anything about the bath.  Good enough, for I didn't want to
deal with that at this point.
     Kasumi has really out-done herself this time.  The food is 
excellent.  Maybe she did it to try and impress our guests.  From what
I see of Genma, impressing him was hard.  Ranma, however, seemed to be
harder to impress, and yet, she enjoyed the meal as much, if not more
than, her father.  Maybe it was because of the company, maybe the
food, maybe both.  I'll ask her later.
     Ranma was staying as close to me as possible, without seeming to.
 That was interesting.  Maybe she loves me, too?  Can't think about
that right now.  Kasumi might notice.
     Nabiki was ingnoring the rest of the family while she worked on
her ledgers.  *I hope Ranma doesn't get the wrong idea about her. 
She's really the only one that's keeping the dojo in the black, and
what she has to do to do so isn't really nice.*
     Ranma mumbled something while she was looking at her father.  I
leaned closer to her to ask what it was, and she noticed.  I blushed,
and saw a responding blush work it's way to her face.
     "What did you say, Ranma?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down,
so as not to alert to many people.
     "Father had the chance to get rid of his curse after two days at
the springs.  He passed it up, saying that he didn't deserve to be
without a curse if I had one.  I sort of feel sorry for him, being
able to get rid of his curse, and yet not, for honor reasons.  And yet
I envy him being able to get rid of it in the first place."  She
looked me in the eyes, and whispered, "Did you know that I even jumped
into the cold-spring with the same curse that I have now?  It didn't
work...because the hot-springs are more magical then the cold-ones. 
They have to be, it seems, for it's nearly impossible for hot-springs
to exist in the same area as cold-springs without magic.  I just wish
that I had fallen into something that would be easier for me to deal
with..."  Ranma looked like she was about to start crying again.  I
slowly drew her close and hugged her.  She was valiantly trying to
stop crying, but was unable to.  I hope that she doesn't consider this
"unmanly", for I've seen some men cry over less.
     Ranma's father was looking at us, strangely, but decided to keep
his peace.  Good thing, too, for if he had said anything that would
have... *There I go again, rushing to protect Ranma.  But she needs it
now.  For this once, I'll listen.* If he upsetted Ranma any more, then
I wouldn't hesitate to mash him to a pulp.
     That reminded me, "Ranma, do you practice kempo while in 
your cursed form?"  Ranma looked startled.  That's what she needs,
something to keep her mind off of Jusenkyou.
     Genma looked at me, and nodded.  "That's right, son.  You need to
find out this form's weaknesses and strengths.  Go and practice, It'll
do you some good."  I looked suspiciously at Genma, but he was
watching Ranma.
     Ranma looked at Genma, then at me.  "Would you train with me?"
she asked, "I don't want to train with father right now...he's used to
me being male, and might...might hurt me too much."  Ranma looked
scared at that prospect, so I quickly agreed.  "After supper, though,
"Ranma was quick to put in, "I don't think that was enough to hold me
over for a full training session."  It was true, Ranma hadn't even
finished half of her food.  Then I noticed her face.
     "Ranma, " I stated, "You don't have to eat it all.  Kasumi will
understand."  Ranma looked sick, for some reason.
     Ranma turned to me, and said in a quivering voice, "I...I 
normally eat as much as pops...for some reason, I can't even think of
eating that much, anymore..."  Ranma looked green.
     I hugged her closer, "It's alright, you wouldn't be able to eat
that much, anyway.  You are quite a bit smaller than him, so it's
alright now."  I then stood up, "Come on, it'll be dark soon, and we
want to do as much as possible before bedtime, right?"  Ranma nodded,
so I led her quietly to the dojo.

*****

     I impacted with the mat again.  *I haven't been beaten this badly
since I first started out*  I thought to myself morosely.  *It's a
good thing that I can defend myself better in my other form.*  I
looked over at Akane.  She wasn't even breaking a sweat.  I didn't
blame her.  My new body was weaker, slower, and all-around worse than
my male body.  But one thing that people have said about me, is that I
never give up, even against hopeless odds.  I stood up again, and went
through one of the advanced katas for clearing the mind.  I also
noticed that I was clumsier in this form...something else that I had
to work on.  I looked at myself, small bruises everywhere, and the one
on my breast hurt alot.  I focussed on the bruise, and even though it
was superficial, it hurt more than it should have.
     My mind clearing at last, I look at Akane, and she says, quietly,
"One last time, and then that's it for tonight."  I nodded, and then
fell into the ready position.  Akane motioned for me to start the
attack this time.  As I know that she can take quite a lot from me in
this form, I go all out.  I leap at her and prepare for a jump-kick,
and then notice one important thing.  I didn't go as high as I should
have.  She see's me prepping for the jump-kick, so I quickly change
tactics, as the kick wouldn't have landed anyways.  Instead of kicking
out, I drop to the floor and try a sweep-kick.  It would have worked,
if I was only ten times stronger than I was.
     I then noticed something important.  I kicked with all my 
strength, and when the kick landed, it felt like kicking steel.  In my
normal body, I can handle it.  But this body can't.  I hear a crack as
I finish the sweep.  Pain rushes through my body.
     I scream loudly, as I feel my leg breaking.  Akane rushes up to
me, as I whimper from the pain.
     "What's wrong?" she asks.  As I can't talk right now, I point
down to my leg, which is lying there, bent at an awkward angle.  "Oh,
damn!"  Akane mutters.  She then calls out, "Kasumi!  I'm taking Ranma
to doctor Tofu's!"  She then gently picks me up and starts walking
quickly to the gate.
     Kasumi rushes out and asks, "What happened?"
     Akane answers for me, "Ranma and I were training in the dojo, and
she tried a tactic that she wasn't strong enough for.  She broke her
leg trying to knock me off myt feet."
     Kasumi looks at me, and then says something that scared me,
"Ranma, I don't want you fighting.  I know it's what you are used to,
all the time, but you need to settle down.  This could have easily
been a dislocated leg, and then there would have been a big mess to
clean up."  I looked at her, like she was crazy, and she explained as
we moved quickly down the street, "Ranma, when you dislocate your leg,
it's worse than dislocating your arm.  Your leg muscles are strong
enough to send a dislocated bone right through the skin.  you could
have died, and there would be nothing we could have done about it."  I
got scared.  Very scared.  I started crying.
     Akane looked at Kasumi, and said, "Kasumi, I think you should go
back to the house, I don't think our fathers can be trusted to be by
themselves in the house by themselves."  Kasumi nodded, and left. 
akane turned back to me, "It's alright, Ranma.  You didn't dislocate
your leg, you aren't in any danger.  Just take it easy for now.  We're
almost there. Calm down." She continued her soothing talking, and soon
enough I was calm again.  then we were at the clinic.

*****

     Ain't I a stinker?  Leaving off right at another encounter...:) 
Well at least I'm trying.
     Well, you people _DID_ ask for longer chapters, no?
     Anyone need to guess what I was listening to while writing 
this?  No?  Good.
               Shadow Dancer
                    of
       Black Lightning Design Group
 http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/towers/6418
        danceshadows@geocities.com
*************************************************
      Stress Relief
   All stressed out?  Sometimes it helps to think
of happy scenes.  Maybe a pastoral field, a field
with a babbling brook.  You're there on a lovely
summer's day...holding someone's head under the 
water.  Now you're letting them up for a second.
Then blam!  Back into the freezing water!  Over
and over again!  There.  Feel better?